After its long-anticipated release, “Heaven Knows” proved to be an instant hit. The album has 13 songs and runs for about 34 minutes.
Vicky Walker, who uses the stage name PinkPantheress, exploded on TikTok thanks to her highly addictive music with high-pitched vocals and catchy beats. Popular singles include “Break It Off” and “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2” with Ice Spice. If you have also been loving PinkPantheress since early 2021, you will notice she revisits the same themes of loss, desire and having unrequited feelings for a lover. These are prominent in her first singles, “Pain,” “Attracted to You” and her first mixtape, “to hell with it.” “Heaven Knows” was a shift from these themes, but the album is great nonetheless. If someone is going to sing about desire, you bet PinkPantheress is going to make a jam. Featured artists on this album are Afrobeats giant Rema, UK rapper Central Cee, alternative R&B singer Kelela and, of course, rapper Ice Spice.
“Another life (feat. Rema)” mysteriously opens the album with a church organ, then catapults the listener into the iconic pitched-up vocals and drum and bass beats. Throughout the album, the instrumentals are the usual drum and bass sound, but change up on “The aisle” with a playful, disco feel. There are also drill beats on “Nice to meet you (feat. Central Cee).” Those who do not like British rap might skip it altogether, but Cee’s verse is welcomed with a booming bassline and closes the song nicely.
By far my favorite feature of them all, Kelela’s buttery vocals start to slow down the first half of the project on “Bury Me feat. Kelela.” “Internet baby (interlude)” continues the transition halfway through the album, leading to the more emotional, downtempo tracks. The song “Ophelia” welcomes the second half of the record with a delicate harp that loops during the song. If you have not realized it yet, PinkPantheress has a talent for pairing sultry, playful instrumentals with somber themes and lyrics.
Currently, there is an excruciating tie between “Bury me (feat. Kelela)” and “Internet baby (interlude)” for being the best song off the record. While this album had many standout moments, it would have been nice to see PinkPantheress explore other themes and experiment some more by making her songs longer than three minutes.
